3x3 basketball

“We have to use this hype now”

Austria surprisingly won the European Championship title.

(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures)

3x3 basketball is on everyone's lips after Austria's European Championship title. Chairman Armin Mujic from the 3x3 Sonze club is delighted with the popularity. There is currently only one club in the province of Salzburg.

Austria was recently crowned European 3x3 basketball champion in the men's competition, a complete surprise. The sport, in which both teams play for the same basket, was previously not so well known, but is now on everyone's lips. "I was there live at the final against Serbia. It was unbelievable that Austria won. It can have enormous added value for our sport," says Armin Mujic.

The 28-year-old is the chairman of the 3x3 Sonze club, one of the best-known and most successful clubs in Austria. The team does not have a fixed home, so they rarely train together. "Our players are all active in normal basketball at a club. We meet up before a tournament and then do a session," explains Mujic, who has been part of the 3x3 scene for eight years.

We have to use the hype now. I hope that there will soon be more clubs and tournaments in Austria. But of course we also need to find sponsors for this

Armin Mujic

Kenan Biberovic, a current player from BBU Salzburg, also plays for Sonze. "Kenan is my right-hand man and one of the most important people in our club. We've already played many tournaments together in Europe and often achieved good results," reports Mujic, who has already played with his squad at major events in the Czech Republic, Germany and Slovakia. The 28-year-old hopes that Austria's European Championship title will raise awareness of the up-and-coming sport. "Many people have now heard of 3x3 basketball for the first time. We have to use the hype now. I hope that there will soon be more clubs and tournaments in Austria. But of course, sponsors also need to be found for this."

There is currently only one 3x3 club in the province of Salzburg, the Lehen Lakers. The club's home ground is located on the grounds of the Salzburg Ducks American football team at the Sportzentrum Nord.